Musk Attributes Recent Starship Explosion to Mishap During Propellant Dump

The cause of the explosion during the second test flight of the groundbreaking rocket, the Starship upper stage, was not revealed until this moment.

Elon Musk recently disclosed that the mishap during the second test flight of the Starship in November, where the upper stage exploded, was caused by an incorrect propellant dump. Despite this setback, the incident will not affect the scheduled flight of the megarocket in February, as confirmed by the CEO of SpaceX.

The second test of the Starship by SpaceX took place on November 18, 2023, and showed significant improvement compared to the initial test conducted in April. However, unlike the first test that had a single explosion, this experimental rocket encountered two separate explosions during the second test. The Super Heavy booster and the Starship upper stage exploded approximately five minutes apart during the eight-minute mission.

The booster experienced a significant explosion immediately after stage separation, which was not the intended outcome. Nevertheless, SpaceX successfully executed its first-ever hot staging procedure, designed to facilitate the transition between stages. The upper stage, detached from the booster, flew independently for several minutes before meeting a similar fate. At the time, SpaceX attributed the “rapid unscheduled disassembly” to the flight termination system, but the exact cause of the anomaly was not provided.

During an all-hands meeting with SpaceX employees on January 11 at the Starbase test site in Boca Chica, Texas, CEO Elon Musk finally shed more light on the incident. He explained that the explosion occurred when liquid oxygen needed to be vented from the Starship as it approached the end of its engine burn. This venting procedure was carried out because the Starship was not carrying any cargo.

Musk stated, “Flight 2 actually came very close to reaching orbit.” If the Starship had been loaded with cargo, it would have successfully reached orbit. The reason it fell short was due to the venting of liquid oxygen, which ultimately led to a fire and explosion.

I am uncertain as to why Musk claims that Starship nearly reached “orbit,” as that was never the intended goal. The purpose of this particular suborbital flight was for the rocket’s upper stage to travel across the globe and perform a hard ocean landing near Hawaii, without entering orbit or completing a full circumnavigation of Earth.

Despite Musk’s exaggeration, the need for this venting procedure would typically be unnecessary. Normally, with cargo on board, the Raptor engines would consume all the fuel during the second stage lifting, eliminating the need for venting. However, due to the empty Starship, there was excess propellant that needed to be discharged. Fortunately for SpaceX, this is not a significant issue and should not impact the next launch. Musk stated, “I think we have a very good chance of reaching orbit with [the third flight].” Once again, Musk is referring to suborbit unless there have been changes to the flight parameters.

Musk did not provide further details on why the venting caused the fire and explosion. It would have been helpful to have more information on this matter, as it is not something you would want to happen, whether it is a test or not. He also did not explain why a dummy payload was not included in the flight to simulate the weight of actual payloads, nor did he address the failure of the Super Heavy booster.

Regarding Starship’s third flight, it is expected to take place in February, according to Jessica Jensen, vice president of customer operations and integration at SpaceX, who mentioned this during a NASA press conference on January 9. The necessary hardware is anticipated to be secured this month, and the company now only needs to obtain a Federal Aviation Administration license.

During the third demonstration mission, SpaceX intends to perform an in-space engine burn using the header tank located at the top of the rocket, as explained by Musk. The purpose of this is to showcase the reentry capabilities. Additionally, the company plans to conduct an initial test of transferring propellant from the header tank to the main tank. This process is being developed with funding from NASA, as it is a requirement for the Artemis missions. Ultimately, the objective is to transfer propellant between two Starships while they are in orbit. Musk stated that the first ship-to-ship transfer test could take place by the end of this year or possibly by next year.

Once fully developed, Starship will function as a completely reusable launch and spacecraft system specifically designed for cost-effective, high-capacity missions to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and other destinations. Starship holds great significance for NASA and the broader space industry, as it has the potential to introduce new possibilities for deep space missions, including the Artemis program aimed at lunar exploration. This could potentially mark a pivotal moment in space exploration, opening up opportunities for scientific research and commercial ventures in space.

Do not forget to share your opinion with us to provide you with the best posts !